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Biden: U.S. Presence Vital to Asian Stability, Prosperity

By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2011  The United States has been a major force in promoting stability in the Pacific and remains committed to its role as a Pacific power, Vice President Joe Biden said yesterday as he wrapped up his trip to the region.

“We are a resident Pacific power and we intend to stay that way. We are not going away,” Biden said he told leaders of China, Mongolia and Japan during his visits there.

Speaking to members of the 3rd Marine Regiment at Marine Corps Base Hawaii during his return trip to Washington, Biden said their presence in Hawaii plays a critical role in the United States’ approach to the Asia-Pacific region.

Despite America’s roots as an Atlantic-focused nation, Biden said it has recognized for decades that it is a Pacific nation as well.

“Asia and the United States are not separated by a great ocean, we are bounded by it,” he said, quoting President Barack Obama during his first trip to the region as president.

“And you are the blood and sinew that binds us,” Biden told the Marines and sailors based at Kaneohe Bay.

No country has done more than the United States during the last 60 years to promote regional stability and security, he said.

“You embody that proud tradition and you enable that to continue,” Biden told the service members. “All of you have provided the environment to allow stability and growth and has benefited all of Asia.”

This stability has created the environment that has enabled China and much of the Pacific Basin to grow and prosper, the vice president said.